Egyptian election officials count ballots in Cairo this week: Religious parties are emerging as the victors in the country's first election since Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office. Shawn Baldwin/Corbis

December 2, 2011

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Egypt's Islamists are claiming a decisive victory this week in the first elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. The well-organized Muslim Brotherhood captured roughly 40 percent of the vote, as expected, and ultraconservative Islamists finished a surprisingly strong second. Emboldened religious parties are already stepping up pressure on the military to hasten the transition to civilian rule, though there are two more election rounds to come. (This week, ballots were only cast in one-third of Egypt's provinces.) Will Islamists rule the new Egypt?

Let's not panic quite yet: Egyptian liberals, Israel, and many in the U.S. will reflexively "freak out" about the Islamists' triumph, says Marc Lynch at Foreign Policy. But we should all calm down. At this point, we should accept "the results of a free and fair election" and focus on "the importance of the Islamist forces demonstrating their commitment to democratic rules, cooperation, and tolerance." If this result helps speed the transition from military to democratic civilian rule, it's a step forward."Egypt and the Arab election season"

Besides, the real mandate is for democracy: Obviously, this election was a "heavy blow" to Egypt's secular parties, says Dan Murphy in The Christian Science Monitor, and proof of the Muslim Brotherhood's "muscle." But Egypt's liberals will "have another chance to try to really organize and run as a cohesive force" in the elections that will be held once Egypt has a new constitution and president. In a "true democracy," Islam will be a potent force, but not the only force."Upshot of Egypt elections: Islamists are here to stay"